Pour House delivers big taste with small scope

Apr. 26, 2013

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Written by

Nancy Vienneau

For The Tennessean

For starters, try a plate of the bleu chips. The crispy housemade potato chips under a scatter of diced tomato, red onion, bacon, blue cheese sauce and crumbles, have the right sweet-salty pungence, and are downright addictive. / Larry McCormack /The Tennessean

Burgers rule, these days, in cunning combinations. In its formidable rebuild at the corner of 8th and Division, Pour House joins the ranks of elevated burger purveyors in the city.

Pour House’s subtitle — Burgers, Bourbon and Brews — defines the eatery’s scope. The building, now two stories, is outfitted with multiple bars and dining spaces that take on a Depression-era “Prohibition is over!” theme. Pour House pours it on for both beer-chuggin’ and whiskey-sippin’ crowds. There are 28 beers on tap, 70-plus in bottles and 139 spirits, to accompany more than 20 burger and slider styles. The rosters of beers and whiskeys also point to the growth of our local breweries and distilleries, well-represented at Pour House.

Special focus is placed on the spirits: from the whiskey barrels built into the bars to the bourbon library, prized bottles are given sacrosanct storage. If you are curious about the varying and refined tastes, you can do so, just as you might sample wines or craft beers — in flights.

OK — so you’ll need some good eats to accompany that heady sippin.’ For starters, try a plate of the bleu chips. The crispy housemade potato chips, under a scatter of diced tomato, red onion, bacon, blue cheese sauce and crumbles, have the right sweet-salty pungence and are downright addictive.

For more substantial fare, the beef burgers are the way to go. Chef Darrell Manhold and crew grind a combination of brisket, inside round and shoulder. The loosely packed patties are well-executed: grilled to order, juicy, with rich beefy taste. Manhold designed the burger lineup.

Traditionalists will find the American cheeseburger and bacon cheese much to their liking, but several other offerings are more intriguing. The blue cheese burger, smothered with bourbon caramelized onions, avocado and arugula, is a luscious winner. With its impressive stack of bacon, pimiento cheese, fried green tomato, a fried egg and a fat onion ring, The Big South makes your jaw drop, an ambitious burger to behold and eat.

Vegetarians have a couple of delicious options. The three-bean burger is a cumin-spiced mash of kidney beans, black beans and black-eyed peas, kicked up with pepperjack cheese and chipotle mayo. Nice heat! And the combo of smoked gouda, bourbon onions and juicy grill of the big mushroom makes the Cap Portabello one of the better iterations of that sort we’ve had.

Two alternative burgers need a little tweaking, or a little extra kitchen-love in preparation. Both the Cuban and the Lamburger, sampled on separate visits, were well-conceived, but arrived underseasoned and underdressed. The Cuban needed more than a few pickles, a thin piece of ham, swiss and a swipe of mustard to really come across with the same pizzazz as a good Cuban sandwich. The chimichurri aioli was imperceptible. Similarly, the Lamburger was sparsely garnished with a slice of tomato, a few feta crumbles and a dash of yogurt sauce.

Each burger comes with your choice of side, with golden hand-cut fries the hands-down favorite. Sweet potato fries rate highly, too. The onion rings beckon but don’t quite deliver; their beer-batter coating overpowers the onion. Better to choose the tasty beer-battered mushrooms, which have a more balanced ’shroom-to-batter ratio.

You can go lighter, with a side of grilled fresh asparagus, and be pleased with your choice. The spears are simply and properly prepared. There are also side salads, such as the Caesar, which our group found to be good and garlicky.

From ketchup to onions to glazes, Manhold distills a bit of whiskey throughout the menu, but really highlights it in the desserts. We leave you with this temptation: bourbon ice cream.

Sound-wise, the main floor can get raucous. That might settle later in the evening when the main floor stage features live music. A climb up to the rooftop bar ensures a bit quieter space and expansive views, despite a limited menu — all of the burgers, served only with house chips. On either level, there’s something to suit just about anyone at the Pour House, especially those soon to migrate from Music City Center.

Nancy Vienneau is a chef and retired caterer with 25 years of experience. She cooks and teaches at Second Harvest and blogs about her adventures with food at http://nancyvienneau.com/. Reviews are written from anonymous visits to restaurants. Negative reviews are based on two or more visits. The Tennessean pays for all meals.